Incidence of Cleft Lip and Palate Deformity in India
India is the second-most populous country in the world. Cleft lip and palate deformities are amongst the most common congenital deformities found in Indian children. It is found in approximately 1 in every 1000 live births. The absolute number of children with clefts is very large taking into consideration the enormous population of our nation.
Many hospitals offer surgical repair of cleft lip and palate deformities. Cleft lip and palate repair is a highly specialized procedure. Deformities of the palate involve both the hard and the soft palate. The best cleft lip hospital in India is one that provides surgical excellence in results on a consistent basis. The experience of the surgeon is paramount in determining the outcome of the surgery.
We are considered to be the best cleft lip hospital in India. Children with cleft lip and palate deformity have been undergoing successful rehabilitation in our hospital for over 30 years now. We have a dedicated cleft team led by Dr. SM Balaji who is considered to be the best cleft lip surgeon in India by his peers. Cleft lip surgery is a superspecialty feature at our hospital.
Definition of Cleft Lip and Palate Deformity
This is a congenital deformity where there is nonfusion of the two halves of the upper lip and palate during pregnancy. The cleft lip deformity can either be incomplete and involve only the lip or be a complete cleft with involvement of the nasal cavity. The lip and the palate play a very important role in normal speech development.
Rehabilitation of cleft lip and palate is performed through surgical correction of these deformities. Both these surgeries are extremely technique sensitive and the best results are provided by experienced surgeons. The best cleft lip surgeon in India is one who has successfully rehabilitated every form of cleft lip and palate deformity.
The mildest manifestation of this defect is the unilateral incomplete cleft lip deformity. The most severe presentation is the bilateral cleft lip and palate deformity with a free-floating premaxillary segment. Normal eruption of teeth is impeded by increasing severity of this defect and there is the congenital absence of multiple teeth in the most severe presentations of cleft lip and palate.
Importance of Adhering to Prescribed Time Schedule for Surgeries
The ideal time for performing the surgical procedures of cleft lip surgery is at 3-1/2 months old and the ideal time for cleft palate surgery is at 10 months old. Repair of a cleft alveolus defect is ideally performed between 4 to 4-1/2 years old. This utilized bone grafting for closing the alveolar defect. It is very important that the parents bring in the child at the correct time for surgical correction of the aforementioned deformities.
Effect of Cleft Lip and Palate Deformity on Speech and Feeding
Speech and ingestion of food are the two most important functions performed by the mouth. Babies begin to speak very early at around 10-12 months old. Normal oral anatomy is vital for the normal development of speech and good ingestion of food. It is imperative that the cleft lip and palate deformities are surgically repaired before the baby begins to speak.
Food intake is also impeded to a great degree as the baby is not able to create a vacuum that is needed for the sucking reflex. Difficulty with the intake of food leads to retardation of developmental parameters and nutrition is extremely important for normal development. There is a hole in the roof of the mouth in a cleft palate defect. Food is regurgitated into the nasal cavity through this defect.
Centre of Surgical Excellence in Cleft Lip Surgery and Cleft Palate Surgery
Our hospital has been delivering yeomen service to children with the aforementioned defects for over 30 years now. Utmost dedication and devotion are shown by the medical and paramedical staff towards our pediatric patients. This has earned us the distinction of being the best cleft lip surgery hospital in India.
Our hospital is also an international referral center for babies with cleft deformities from all over the world. We have won numerous awards for our outstanding services towards humanity for restoring the lives of scores of children to complete normalcy following surgery at our hospital. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons also perform surgeries that overlap with procedures performed by plastic surgeons.
Our hospital is the regional affiliate of the International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation of Japan and the Dallas-based World Craniofacial Foundation of the USA. Our surgical team has had the distinction of having achieved the best results for any surgical center in India for cleft lip and palate surgeries.
The Best Cleft Lip Surgery Hospital in India
We are the best cleft lip hospital in Chennai. Chennai is considered to be the healthcare capital of India and it is our dedication and diligence towards our patients, which has earned us this reputation. We provide very good results for cleft upper lip and nose repair surgery.
Parents who come to us for treatment of their babies undergo extensive counseling. This trains them on how to care for their child. These parents develop deep bonds with staff members who provide them with invaluable emotional and moral support.
Parents Present with their Infant Daughter to our Hospital for Management
This infant girl who is 3-1/2 months of age is from Nagpur in Maharashtra India. She was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate deformity. Her parents were immediately referred to our hospital and got in touch with our hospital manager. Many referrals are made to us as we are considered to be the best cleft lip hospital in India.
The counseling team spoke with the parents and provided them with expert guidance regarding their daughter’s condition. A concise handbook for parents written by Dr. SM Balaji, which explains advanced treatment for cleft lip and palate was sent to the children. This well-written book provides parents with all the information that they need to know about this condition.
Services such as this add value to undergoing treatment at the best cleft lip hospital in India. The parents were then instructed to present to our hospital when she was 3-1/2 months old.
Treatment Planning and Surgical Correction of Cleft Lip Deformity
Dr. SM Balaji who is considered to be the best cleft lip surgeon in India examined the patient. She had a very wide unilateral cleft lip and palate deformity. Treatment planning was presented to the parents and they expressed understanding following which they provided the consent for surgery.
The surgery would be performed under general anesthesia. We are a children’s hospital as we deal with many infants with congenital defects and have specialized consultant pediatric anaesthesiologists attached to the hospital.
It was decided to use the modified Millard’s technique to address her deformity. A C-flap was raised and utilized to rebuild her nasal floor and nasal sill. Meticulous reapproximation of her cleft lip was next performed with a three-layer closure. The orbicularis oris, subcutaneous tissue and skin were perfectly aligned under the magnification of a surgical loupe.
There were very good results from the surgery with very minimal scarring at the site of surgery when they returned on the seventh day for suture removal. Her appearance was completely transformed by the surgery. Instructions were given to her parents to return for cleft palate surgery when she was 10 months old.
They expressed understanding of the instructions and thanked the surgical staff for restoring their baby’s life before discharge from the hospital.
